DNAs Secret Code

Abstract
Every cell in our body contains DNA. DNA
is a set of instructions that tells our cells
how to build protein. These instructions are
in a language that we did not understand
until recently. A strand of DNA looks like a
ladder. The rungs of this ladder are made
up of bases. Each rung is a pair of two
bases that are bonded together in the
middle. The four bases used in DNA are
Cytosine, Guanine, Adenine, and Thymine
and are paired together in a specific way:
Adenine with Thymine, and Guanine with
Cytosine. The order that these base pairs
occur in determines the type of protein built.
Protein is made up of amino acids. The
order of these amino acids determines the
type of protein built. It is the order of the
DNA bases that tell cells the order to place
amino acids. It takes three DNA bases to
pair for one amino acid.
This series of three bases is called a codon
because it codes for which type of amino
acid to be used. In this activity, you will
translate a message from a newspaper or
magazine into the language that DNA uses,
which is the DNA code. You can also use
the DNA code to send secret messages to
your friends or family.
In this activity we will:
• Translate a message from English to the
DNA code
• Understand how DNA codes to build
specific proteins
Materials
• Paper
• Pencil, pen, or marker
• DNA code (Provided in activity)

Activity
• Write down a secret message to a friend
or family member on a sheet of paper.
Keep the message relatively short.
• Using the DNA code below, translate the
message into DNA code. As you will notice,
all possible English letters and numbers
have a specific DNA codon.
• Give the secret message to the person
you want to send it to.
• You must also give the person the DNA
code so they can translate the message.
• As you gain more practice with the code,
you will be able to send messages faster
and translate them easier.
• You can practice decoding using the
messages below (answers to codes are
given at the end of this activity).
HINT: Every time the codon TTG
appears, that indicates a space in
between two words.
1) CTC ACA AAG ATG AAT AGA ATC
ACG TTG CTC GCT CGG TTG AGA CAG
TTG ACC CCA ATC
2) GAC CCA ATA AAA ATC TTG CTC
GCT CGG TTG AAG ATG ATC CAT AAA
AGA ATC CAG TTG TCG TTG AAC AGA
AGT AGT AGA ATG ATC TTG AAC AAA
CAG ACA TTG ATT AAA AGA CAC CAG
3) GTC ACT ACA TTG CAT ATG CAT AAA
AGT TTG AGT ACA ATC ACG CAT ACT
TTG ATG ACC TTG CTC GCT CGG TTG
AGA ATC TTG TCA TTG ACT CCA ATA
AAA ATC TTG ACA CAA CCA AAA AGT
CAG TTG TGG TTC TTG CAC ATG CCA
ATC AAT TTG CAT CAC AGA ATT CAG
TTG ACC CAC ATG ATA TTG CAT ACT
ACA TTG CTG AAA CAC CAT ACT TTG
CAT ATG TTG CAT ACT ACA TTG GTA
CCA ATC

DNA CODE
Extension Activity
The process that you used to decode the DNA
message was much simpler than the process
that cells undergo to translate a DNA message.
Follow the pictures below to see the exact
process that occurs in a cell to translate a DNA
message into protein building instructions
1) Enzyme Helicase unzips DNA Strand

2) mRNA Strand fills in on one side of the unzipped

DNA Strand. (Notice the base U (Uracil replaces T
(Thymine)
3) mRNA Strand is sent out of cell nucleus into cell
cytoplasm. Ribosome engulfs section of the mRNA
4) tRNA molecule attaches to mRNA strand by
matching bases from its anticodon to mRNA’s
codon. This tRNA molecule is attached to an Amino
Acid.
5) tRNA molecules continue to attach to mRNA
Strand matching anticodon with codon. Amino acids
will attach to one another building a protein
molecule.

Wrap up
After this activity, you should understand how
specific proteins are built using DNA. Every protein
in your body from your hair to the muscles blinking
your eyes was built using DNA’s instructions. The
same four bases are able to provide all the
information needed to build protein by the order that
they occur in. You should also be familiar with the
different components used to build protein.
Answers to codes
1) Decoding DNA is fun
2) Human DNA contains 3 billion base pairs
3) The total length of DNA in 1 human equals 70
round trips from the Earth to the Sun

Conclusion:
You should also be familiar with the
different components used to build protein.
You should know that DNA is used to build
mRNA. This mRNA then attracts a tRNA
molecule that holds an amino acid. Amino
acids are then connected in a specific order
forming a protein. These proteins need to
have specific orders of amino acids to
function properly in the body. It turns out
that the body sometimes makes mistakes
when translating DNA’s instructions. These
errors are called mutations that can go
unnoticed but they can also cause fatal
diseases! Hopefully you will take your time
and be careful the next time you send a
DNA message.

References:
1.
http://www.indiana.edu/~ensiweb/connectio
ns/genetics/dna.make.pdf
2. http://www.dna2z.com/DNA-o-gram/